Workers in the carpentry, painting, woodworking, and other trades use a variety of tools to shape, mold, and form various materials. Some of these tools are configured to remove large quantities of undesired material; for example, a planer can be used to remove layers of wood of varying thickness with each pass. On the other hand, various types of sandpaper exist to allow a worker to remove very small quantities of wood for the purpose of working a surface to a desired shape or smoothness.
Some workers enjoy the convenience of small, portable tools that help them accomplish their tasks. For example, painters use a variety of hand-held tools such as scrapers to remove old peeling paint; an electrician may carry a variety of tools in his tool belt, such as cutters, splicers, and the like. In general, it can be preferable that a tool perform multiple functions so that the number of tools a tradesman needs to carry to perform his job is minimized.